Safety secret lock



Feb. 10, 1942. FALLA-CARAVINO SAFETY SECRIET LOCK Filed May 5, 1958 Patented Feb. 10, 1942 UNlTED STATES OFFHCE Application May 3, 1938, Serial No. 205,745 In Italy December 31, 1937 Z'C'Iaims.

This invention relates to a safety secret or combination lock, especially for motor cars, motor cycles, bicycles, trunks, valises, doors, safes or the like.

In the lock according to the invention no key is required; for causing its opening it suffices to produce the secret word selected by the owner, and its main feature is an arrangement which allows the lock to be held on its supporting member in an inaccessible manner.

A further feature of the invention consists in that the selected word may be changed in case one fears that another person may have discovered the secret word. The number of the possible combinations is very great (more than 7,000), and a fraction of a second suffices to produce the secret word, the manipulation being quite simple. The lock may have the form of a common handle or door-knob, this kind of lock being especially adapted for motor-cars, furniture or doors in general. When the lock is made of iron or bronze, its duration is limitless owing to the simplicity of its structure.

The invention is most suitably applied in connection with the starting button of a motor car. In this case the lock is mounted on the dashboard instead of a common starting-button and replaces the latter most advantageously as with this arrangement it is quite impossible to start the motor without having formed the secret word and closed the circuit.

As soon as the button has exerted its function and the motor has been started the formed secret word is automatically dismembered so that a stranger cannot discover the secret word.

This device may be attached to any new or old motor car without any change or reconstruction being required, whether it is used as starting button, handle or in connection with the steering wheel.

The device according to the invention is formed by the combination of a plurality of small cylinders carrying the letters or figures oi the combination. These cylinders are axially bored to receive a common shaft and are provided with circular grooves coaxial with the axis of the shaft into which grooves teeth or pegs engage which project from the shaft or key of the device upon which the cylinders are arranged in series. As soon as the cylinders are in a position corresponding to the predetermined combination, the shaft is capable of axial displacement by means of slots provided in the cylinders, this displacement enabling an ordinary lock to be opened or an electric circuit to be closed or another suitable controllingdevice being operated. I

For the sake of simplicity or for aesthetic reasons the reference letters on every cylinder arranged on the shaft may be left out and attached to a bottom disk upon which a number of indicators or pointers, equal to the number of the cylinders can be made to slide.

Numerous other applications of the invention may be imagined, as previously intimated. I

The invention is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example in the annexed drawing of which-- a Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-section of a start ing button for motor cars provided with the secret device according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross-section of a handle provided with a secret keyless lock for motorcar doors;

Fig. 3 is a front View of the'device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the device in front View in which a bottom disk having a number of indicators is'substituted for the inscrip tion on the small cylinders.

Fig. 5 is a front view of one of the revoluble cylinders;

Fig. 6 is a front view of the rack and pinion gear of Fig. 2. I

As seen from Fig. 1, the secret device consists of several cylinders 3 (Figs. 3 and 5) of which the side faces carry letters or figures with which the desired combination is to be made. Each cylinder is provided with an inner circular groove 3' into which engage the teeth or pegs of the shaft 6 firmly connected with the operating button I. Said shaft 6 is slidably mounted in a hollow member 4 having a slot 4' for the teeth 5 and fitted between the shaft 6 and the cylinders 3 so as to keep assembled the cylinders 3 between its collar 4" and the ring 2 screwed on the inner, threaded end of the member 4. As soon as the cylinders 3 are brought into the position corresponding to the predetermined combination the slots 3 (Fig. 5) provided in each of the cylinders are in alignment with the teeth 5, so that by pressing the button down the shaft 6 is axially displaced until it closes with its other end the electric circuit controlling the start of the motor.

The device is completed by the plateor ring 2 screwed on the tubular member 4, and the ring I. The ring 2 enables the lock to be fastened on the dash board of the motor-car, in an inaccessible manner.

The modification according to Fig. 2 is especially adapted for the doors of motor cars. It is distinguished by several details from the devices described in connection with the preceding figures. In this case also, a shaft [2 provided with teeth [3, l3, I3" is used, these teeth being disposed in corresponding circular grooves of the cylinders l6, l6, l6" arranged in series upon and revoluble about the core or hollow member I8, so that the predetermined combination of letters or figures carried by the crowns [1, H, H disposed upon the said cylinders can be formed.

The whole device is attached to the door ll] of the motor car by a connecting piece II and the threaded ring 2 screwed on the inner threaded end of the member I8, so as to lock the door l between the ring 2 and the cylinder l6". On the outer end of the member I8 is mounted a handle IS. The inner squared end of the shaft l2 may engage itself with the pinion 20 which is held in engagement with the rack 2| disposed upon the member 22 forming the locking bolt. As long as the teeth I3, l3, [3 are placed in the grooves of the cylinders l6, l6, Hi" the pinion 20 which is not engaged with the shaft 12, cannot be turned, so that it is not possible to open the door. However, after the predetermined combination has been formed and the teeth l3, l3, l3" are in alignment with the slots 23,23, 23" of the cylinders I6, l6, I6 and are displaced on pressing the button 24 inwardly, the shaft [2 engages the pinion 20 so that a rotation of the handle l9 attached to the door including the whole implement connected therewith is transferred to the pinion 20, this rotation displacing the bolt 22 for a certain predetermined distance depending upon the proportion of the gearing and thereby allowing the opening of the door. For locking the door it is only necessary to allow the displacement of the whole implement outwards by the biasing spring located beneath the button 24 and to turn the cylinders l3, l3, l3" whereby the whole secret combination is dismembered.

In Fig. 3 showing a front view of the device shown in Fig. l 1 is the button. In Fig. 4, l1, I1 and I1" are the three cylinders, 19 is the handle and 25, 25' and 25" are the indicators showing the position of the cylinders with respect to the signs on the dial.

The device according to the invention is also suitable for the steering wheels of motor cars, by connecting the steering wheel with the dash board and thus safeguarding the car.

I claim:

1. In a safety secret lock of the type comprising a plurality of cylinders carrying code letters or figures, rotatably mounted on a toothed shaft which is longitudinally sliding when the secret combination is set up, an arrangement holding the lock on its supporting member in an inaccessible manner and comprising a tubular member interposed between the said toothed shaft and said cylinders, having a longitudinal slot for the passage of the shaft teeth, an enlarged portion at its outer end abutting against the first cylinder and a flat member screwed on the inner threaded end of said tubular member and adapted to fasten the supporting member of the lock between itself and the last of said cylinders.

2. In a safety secret lock of the type comprising a plurality of cylinders rotatably mounted on a toothed shaft which is longitudinally sliding when the secret combination is set up, an arrangement holding the lock on its supporting member in an inaccessible manner; a bottom disc mounted on the toothed shaft before the said cylinders and provided with a row of letters or figures; and a number of indicators equal to the number of cylinders and rotating on the bottom disc to form the predetermined secret word, said indicators being able to be adjusted on said cylinders in order to change the predetermined secret word for operating the lock.

EZIO FALLA-CARAVINO. 

